Tailoring in Vietnam is definitely a fantastic activity when you travel to Vietnam. Super-skilled tailors will make you clothes fitting you like a glove in a very soon time.

A typical tailoring process:

It doesn’t matter if you have an idea of what you want from the tailor shops or not, you can enter them and experience the special activity. When stepping in a tailor shop in Vietnam, you will see a vast array of fabrics which is a really colorful and impressive icon of the tailor shops.
You may not meet the tailors but it is not necessary, you don’t get your clothes right then. Instead, the assistants will guide and ask you which kind of garments, fabrics, colors, etc., you want. Then they will take your detailed measurements and take a photo of you if it is necessary. The measurements are kept in record so that later you can contact them to order the garments made without coming measuring again.
After measuring, you have to pay a deposit of the clothes, about 25-50% of the total prices. You will receive a copy of the receipt. Then you decide the schedule to come back for the first fitting. At the first coming back, maybe only basic seams are done. If you are satisfied with it, the tailor will keep finishing your clothes. If you are not satisfied, you can tell them and the assistant will note down and make chalk marks on the garments for the tailors to notice and fix it for you. Then you will keep coming back to the shop until you are satisfied with the garments and take them away after paying the remainder of the price.

Some tips for tailoring in Vietnam:
Tailoring is an interesting activity but not all the experiences are great, some may be uncomfortable, especially for ones who don’t have any clue. Following are some things you definitely do during the tailoring process to make it easy and smooth:

1. Look for the right tailor
There are maybe hundreds of tailoring shops in the city you come to travel but obviously not all of them can make suitable garments for you.
To find the right tailor shop, you can listen to your friends or family’s directions or go and search for the online data and review. You can also go to different shops yourselves to find the suitable one.

2. Determine what you want in detailed
You should decide in advance what sample, fabrics, color, etc. you want. You can prepare a photo or draw them down then bring it to the tailoring shop. Perhaps the things you want are not available in the shop yet at least you won’t be confused by the vast of fabrics displayed and samples in the catalogues or magazines there.

3. Try and ask everything before paying the deposit
See and touch the fabrics to feel if it is what you want. Don’t just look at it in a distance. There is a big different between silk, wool, cotton and they may not good as the staffs say. So it’s better to feel it yourselves. You should also take a look around at every piece of fabric there to decide which one you really like.
The other items like the length, size, color, buttons, zip, etc. should be the checked carefully too.
The price and the appointment for fitting also need deciding in detailed.

4. Consider the right time for the tailor to finish your garments
“1 day tailoring” is advertised a lot nowadays by tailoring shops in Vietnam but a good tailoring needs a bit longer actually. It is most recommended that 3 days is the best period of time to finish a tailoring. One day after the first coming for fitting, and the other two days for the tailor to finish tailoring following the results of the fitting day.

5. Speak Vietnamese or bring along an interpreter
Some staff in the tailor shops can speak English and some can’t so it’s better to speak Vietnamese or bring along someone who can speak Vietnamese when coming to a tailor shop. There are many details and information to discuss about your garments and the price and it is so confused if you can’t mutually understand.

6. Bargain at the reasonable level
Bargain is accepted. Yet stop bargaining at the right time or your experience can be damaged just because of the small amount of money, it is a pity.